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EXTRACTS FROM THE BY-LAWS 

OF THE 

AMERICAN WHIG SOCIETY 

OF 

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY 

RELATING TO THE LITERARY SECTIONS AND THE 
ELECTION OF OFFICERS 



Princeton, N. J. 

Published by order of the Society 

1915 






In £xchange. 
jUN 3 1916 



V FOREWORD 

The Constitution of the American Whig Society 
has been printed in complete form. It has not 
seemed wise to print the entire body of the By-Laws, 
but only that portion of them relating to the liter- 
ary sections and to the election of officers. An 
indexed copy of both Constitution and By-laws is 
kept on the desk of the Secretary of the Society 
and is always open to inspection. 

CHANGES IN THE LITERARY SECTIONS 
Sweeping changes have been made in the literary 
sections, to take effect at the beginning of the col- 
lege year 1915-1916. There are two essential points 
in these changes. In the first place, a sharp dis- 
tinction between active and non-active members will 
hereafter be made, with compulsory attendance at 
the literary exercises for active members. In the 
second -place, a flexible plan of topic discussion will 
supplant the old rigid system of extemporaneous 
speeches and formal debates. 
A word concerning the purpose of this change will 



not be out of place at this point. Formal debates 
of the old style are very interesting, provided the 
external stimulus of competition and rivalry is 
present, as in intercollegiate debates. But as a 
weekly exercise within Hall, the usefulness of such 
debates has been steadily undermined as their arti- 
ficiality and insincerity have become more and more 
their prominent features. In a word, the debates 
have become something of a bore. In the future, 
therefore, debating will be encouraged rather than 
forced. 

A debate will arise naturally when a number of 
men with varying views are assigned the same topic. 
Moreover, the Chairman may at any time allow a 
speaker to substitute for his regularly assigned 
topic the continuation of a subject already under dis- 
cussion. Formal debates are not forbidden, but 
will be arranged only when especially requested or 
when required for the purposes of prize contests 
and inter-Hall contests. 

Under this flexible arrangement, there will still 
be plenty of opportunity for extemporaneous speak- 
ing. Frequently the subjects will not be announced 
in advance. 

It is hoped that this new plan will possess all the 



merit of the old and that it will produce a greater 
interest in the literary work. Certainly it will afford 
training in a more natural and useful form of 
public speaking. 



BY-LAWS 



ELECTION OF OFFICERS 

ARTICLE I 
Section i. The House shall hold its stated busi- 
ness meetings at five o'clock on the second Tuesday- 
afternoon of each quarter while college orders are 
in force. 

ARTICLE XX 

Section i. The annual election of officers of the 
Society shall be held at the first regular quarterly 
business meeting after the Easter recess. 

Sec. 2. A mem'ber to be nominated for the office 
of President, Treasurer or Secretary must have 
his nomination signed by ten men and handed in to 
the Secretary three days before the election. 

Sec. 3. All men who have been duly iiominated 
for the office of President, Treasurer, or Secretary, 
having been defeated for the office for which they 
were nominated, are eligible for any subsequent 



election, the order of election being President, Treas- 
urer and Secretary. 

Sec. 4. At the annual election the Whig Repre- 
sentatives for the debating Committee shall be 
chosen, one from the Junior and one from the Sopho- 
more class. 

The Literary Sections 
ARTICLE XVI 

Section i. The Undergraduate members of the 
Society who take part in its literary exercises shall be 
enrolled as active members. A newly initiated m.em- 
ber of the Society shall be considered an active 
member unless he shall signify to the Council his 
intention to the contrary. At the beginning of each 
college year each member shall be classified as dur- 
ing the preceding year unless he shall express to the 
Council a desire to be changed. 

Sec. 2. The Council shall divide the active mem- 
bers into sections of from fifteen to twenty men with 
no necessary regard to class, except that the freshmen 
shall, as far as possible, have sections of their own. 

Sec. 3. Each section shall meet in Hall one night 
each week while college orders are in force. 



Sec. 4. The officers of each section shall be a 
Chairman, who shall preside over its meetings, and 
a Clerk, who shall keep the minutes of the meetings, 
and any other officers which the section may wish 
to elect. The Chairman and the Clerk shall compose 
the managing committee of the section. These offi- 
cers shall be elected at the beginning of each quarter 
of the college year and shall be ineligible for the 
same office during successive quarters. 

Sec. 5. Each member of a section shall have the 
privilege of speaking at each of its meetings. 

Sec. 6. Topics for discussion shall be assigned 
to each member of a section by its managing com- 
mittee, ordinarily one week in advance. A change 
of subject, agreeable to the member concerned, may 
be permitted by the Chairman at any time. From 
two to five minutes shall be allowed each member 
for the discussion of his topic and no credit shall 
be given for a discussion of less than two minutes. 

Sec. 7. At one meeting during each term, each 
active member, instead of discussing a topic, shall 
deliver a written and memorized oration, which shall 
not be less than four and not more than eight min- 
utes in length. 

Sec. 8. At the end of a term each member who has 
8 



attended nine meetings, discussed eight topics, and 
delivered one oration shall receive credit for a term 
of active membership. However, for the first term 
of freshman year the requirements shall be seven 
attendances, six topics, and one oration. A member 
who has fallen short of this requirement shall re- 
ceive credit merely for the speeches made, unless, 
with the permission of the Council, he shall substi- 
tute two extra attendances for each attendance 
needed, two extra topics for each topic needed, and 
two extra orations for each oration needed. 

Sec. 9. The following substitutions for work 
within the section shall be allowed: 

(i) A debate or extemporaneous speech given in 

a University course, or in a prize contest within 

the Hall, or in an inter-Hall contest, shall count as 

one topic. 

(2) An oration given in a University course, or 
in a prize contest within the Hall, including parti- 
cipation in the Wood Prize Convention, or in an 
inter-Hall contest, shall count as one oration. 

(3) A member who takes part in an intercol- 
legiate debate, whether freshman or varsity, shall 
be given credit equivalent to a term of active 



membership, including the eight topics and one 
oration. 

(4) A member who reaches only the final trials 
for such a debating team shall be given credit 
equivalent to one oration, two topics, and three 
attendances for the current term. 

(5) A member who takes part only in the trials 
within Hall for such a debating team shall be 
given credit for two topics and two attendances for 
the current term. 

(6) Xo other substitutions of credit shall be 
allowed unless requested of the Council and ap- 
proved by the Council. 

Sec. 10. A member who, at the end of the iirst 
term of his senior year, has credit for five terms of 
active membership, or four terms of active mem- 
bership and eight topics and one oration in addition, 
shall receive a diploma from Hall. These diplomas 
shall be awarded at a graduation exercise to be held 
(except for 1916) during the third quarter of the 
college year. A senior who subsequently completes 
his credits shall receive a diploma upon request to 
the Council. 

Sec. II. In case there is a resident Graduate 
Secretary of the Society, the details of the organi- 

10 



zation and supervision of the literary sections shall 
be attended to by him, subject to the approval of 
the Council. 

Sec. 12. The Graduate Secretary and the under- 
graduate Secretary shall at the end of the college 
year 1914-1915 determine what credit in terms of 
this new system is due to all present undergraduate 
members of the Society and it shall be so entered 
upon the records of the Society. 



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